The Carriage House Meets Romain Lamaze of La Bergamote

Meet Romain Lamaze. He’s the managing director and co-founder of La Bergamote Patisserie, located in the heart of Chelsea, and a native of France. Hailing from a family of bakers who love to eat, Lamaze is proud of his traditional, Old Country recipes. He always dreamt of sharing his love of and of French pastries with the residents of New York City. The fabulous French cakes, tarts, croissants, Viennoiseries and other mind boggling delicious treats sold at La Bergamote Patisserie are enough to leave you in a Parisian daze.

La Bergamote Patisserie

177 Ninth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

Tell me about the history of La Bergamote.

My partner and I, Stephane Willemin, opened the first location across the street in 1998. Stephane trained as a pastry chef and used to work with my father. At one point, we decided to open up a business together. There weren’t many French pastry shops in New York City in 1998.

How has the Chelsea neighborhood changed since you opened in 1998?

It’s changed completely. When La Bergamote opened in 1998 there was nothing around here —we were one of the only shops. Now you can see there is so much more. Every corner, every storefront is now occupied. It’s like a mushroom town. Buildings keep sprouting up. And we moved to this current location in 2010 because we’re planning on adding a restaurant to the patisserie.

Do you live in the area?

Yes.

What’s your favorite thing about Chelsea?

The short commute!

How did you decide on the menu for your restaurant?

Well, there’s not really a menu. We sell the same traditional French pastries that you would find in a patisserie in France.

Are there any secret ingredients in your cakes?

Our pastries are unique. Stephane took the traditional French recipes and enhanced them into finer recipes. We work with our demand. The cakes are customized for the clientele while maintaining the basic French recipe.

Do a lot of celebrities stop by?

Every day. But I don’t want to give any names.

What’s the most desired item on your menu?

The croissant. Of course.

For more information on Carriage House or to set up a site visit, please feel free to contact me at JTurken@warburgrealty.com, call 212.24 House (4-6873) or visit the website at www.Carriagehouse24.com